Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar,  the first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh and dedicated 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation.

The foundation stone for the airport was laid by the Prime Minister in February 2019.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister praised the commitment of the people of Arunachal for the development of their state. The Prime Minister touched upon the changed work culture where he is establishing a tradition of laying the foundation stone as well as dedicating the same project himself.

"The launch of this airport is a resounding reply to the critics who tried to term the foundation stone of the airport as an election gimmick," the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi urged the political commentators to don a new thinking hat and stop seeing the developments of the state with the prism of political benefits.

"Arunachal Pradesh is neither undergoing elections nor there are any future elections in the state. The priority of the government is the development of the state.  I am starting the day from the state of the rising sun and I will end the day where the sun sets in India in Daman and in between, I will be in Kashi”, PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that Donyi Polo Airport will be the fourth operational airport for Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total airport count in the Northeast region to 16. From 1947 to 2014, only nine airports were built in the Northeast. In a short span of the last eight years, seven airports have been built in the Northeast.

PM Modi further said that the number of flights connecting Northeast India has doubled. “The Donyi Polo Airport is becoming a witness to the history and culture of Arunachal Pradesh”, PM Modi remarked. Throwing light on the naming of the airport, the Prime Minister explained that ‘Donyi’ means the Sun while ‘Polo’ means the moon. Drawing an analogy to the light of the sun and the moon with the development of the state, the Prime Minister said that the development of the airport is as important as the development of the poor.

Highlighting the infrastructural developments in Arunachal Pradesh, the Prime Minister gave the example of highway construction in remote and inaccessible areas and further added that the central government is going to spend another 50,000 crore rupees in the near future.

“The priority of the government is that the poor lead a graceful life”, the Prime Minister remarked. He lamented the efforts of the previous governments in providing education and health in the mountainous regions and said that the present government is providing insurance cover up to 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The Prime Minister also gave examples of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Model Eklavya Schools and the Arunachal Startup policy. Highlighting the Sowbhagya Yojna, electricity for all scheme that began in 2014, the Prime Minister informed that many villages in Arunachal Pradesh got electricity for the first time after independence.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Kandu, Governor B D Mishra, and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju were those present on the occasion among others.